


every step of the way

by orphan_account



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Coming Out, Trans Female Character, gohan is a good brother, trans girl goten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 10:12:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13545210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "You're the best brother in the world, you know that?""And you're the best sister in the world."





	every step of the way

**Author's Note:**

> this is probably the most obscure headcanon i have, but i'm gonna go ahead and write it anyways because it's important to me. i'm trans myself, so i'm pretty sure none of this should come off as offensive since it's all based on my own experience? but if i did somehow write any of it in a way that could be perceived as hurtful, please let me know so i can fix it 
> 
> in case you missed the tags, goten is a trans girl in this. goten will be referred to by she/her throughout this entire thing. also, in my headcanon, goten kept her birthname because she felt perfectly comfortable with it, just to clear up any possible confusion
> 
> (goten is around the age of 16 in this) 
> 
> this isn't proofread or anything, just something i randomly wrote bc i was in a writing mood

Somewhere deep down, Goten always knew she was a girl. It was very vague knowledge, knowledge that was buried so deep down that Goten had only acknowledged it a few times before. The first time she acknowledged it, she panicked and repressed the knowledge as best as she could.

The knowledge resurfaced from time to time. For a while, it didn't resurface often. Goten was able to ignore it then. But now, the knowledge was no longer repressible; It was always there, nagging at Goten's conscience until she felt like her entire mind was filled with nothing but the knowledge that she indeed wasn't a boy. 

Finally, staring in the mirror at well around three in the morning with tears in her eyes, Goten admitted it to herself. She was a girl, and she couldn't change that fact no matter how much she tried to repress it or hide it. 

Goten sniffled, using her sleeve to wipe her nose. She couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with her, if she was broken. She'd never met anyone else who felt like this; She was so confused, and she felt like collapsing right there on the floor in a heap of sobs and frustration. 

Goten knew she had to tell somebody about this. Keeping it locked inside her head was going to drive her mad, but who was she going to tell? Trunks was out of the question. She couldn't bear the thought of potentially losing her lifelong best friend. Her mother and father were out of the question too; What if ChiChi thought Goten was gross, or broken? And what if Goku thought Goten was weak, or weird? She considered telling Piccolo, then realized that Piccolo probably wouldn't understand even a little bit. Vegeta wouldn't care, and Bulma couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it. Goten could go tell Pan or Bra, but venting to little kids could only get you so far. 

Goten wracked her brain for someone - anyone - she could tell. She thought long and hard, weighing each of her options, when she remembered Gohan. 

Gohan wouldn't care, right? Goten considered it, but fear struck her when she thought of Gohan possibly having a negative reaction. She couldn't stand even the idea of Gohan being disappointed in her or weirded out by her. Gohan was the most important person in her life; She couldn't risk making him hate her. 

Goten groaned in frustration. Why was this so difficult? She felt so alone. Every person she could think to tell may or may not have a bad reaction, and the uncertainty had Goten on the verge of tears again. 

Screw it, she decided. She'd tell Gohan. He was the most likely to understand at least a little, and the most likely to be accepting of it. 

Goten quickly snuck out of the house and took off into the air towards Gohan's house. It wasn't far away, thankfully, and Goten arrived quickly. She didn't bother knocking; She had her own spare key, after all. 

As Goten entered her brother's home, she realized just how late (or early?) it was. There was no way Gohan would be awake at this hour. Goten let out a sound of frustration. Maybe she could crash on the couch and tell Gohan in the morning? 

Goten made her way to the living room, when she was abruptly stopped by none other than Gohan. Gohan's eyes widened, looking surprised to see his sibling here at such an hour. 

"Goten?" Gohan asked dazedly, rubbing his eyes with his hands as he yawned. "What are you doing here?"

Goten didn't bother asking why Gohan was awake this late. Even if she did bother, though, she doubted she'd have gotten the words out in her anxious state. 

"I... I don't..." Goten choked on her own words. What was she supposed to say to Gohan's question? 'Oh, sorry for randomly entering your house so late, I was just having a crisis at three in the morning that I needed your help with.' Goten felt her eyes well with tears again, and before she could even try to hold them back, they spilled down her cheeks. 

"Goten..?" Gohan shot his sibling a concerned look. "Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"I... I don't know," Goten admitted, glancing up at her brother with fearful eyes. Gohan grabbed Goten's hand and led her to the living room, where he sat her down on the couch. Gohan sat on the chair across from Goten, looking increasingly worried by the situation. 

"Did... Did mom and dad have a fight or something?" Gohan asked, and Goten shook her head. She swallowed nervously, trying her best to find the proper words to say. 

"No, I... nothing happened. It's... It's just..." Goten bit her lip, hesitating as she carefully thought over her next words. "Have you... ever felt like the body you're in... isn't really your own?"

"What's this about, Goten?" Gohan asked, sounding anxious. Goten sighed, deciding to just get on with it. Beating around the bush clearly wasn't helping. 

"I don't... I'm not a boy," Goten managed to say, her voice cracking mid sentence. "I know it sounds weird, but I know I'm a girl. I... I know it. This body isn't... It's not... It's not what I really am." 

"Oh." Gohan blinked, and Goten felt her heart drop. 

"I... That's it? Just...'Oh'?" 

"I... I don't know what else to say." Gohan laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. It sounded like a laugh of relief. "Honestly, I thought something bad had happened to you, like you were hurt or something. I was really worried. But... You're okay, and that's all I care about."

"So, you... you don't think I'm weird? Or broken? Or gross?" Goten rambled, and Gohan shook his head.

"Of course not." Gohan stood up from where he sat and moved to sit next to Goten. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You know yourself better than anyone else does, so if you say you're a girl, I believe you. If you're more comfortable being a girl, then that's fine by me. As long as you're happy, that's all I care about."

Goten didn't know what to say. Gohan was smiling at her as he ruffled her hair, and Goten felt more tears fall from her eyes. She jumped on top of Gohan, engulfing him in a tight hug. Gohan made a surprised "oof" sound before he laughed and hugged Goten back. Goten sobbed into Gohan's chest, and Gohan rubbed her back soothingly.

"Hey, it's okay. I've got you," Gohan mumbled, and after a short while, Goten's sobs came to a stop. She glanced up at Gohan. 

"Do you think mom and dad will be upset?" Goten asked, sending Gohan a worried look. Gohan thought it over for a moment.

"Well... mom always said she secretly wanted a daughter." Gohan paused, thinking for another moment. "And dad probably won't really care. I think they both just want whatever will make you happy."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Gohan smiled at Goten, and she hesitantly returned the smile. "So, I'm assuming you're using she pronouns now, right?"

"Yeah, but... don't call me a she around other people until I tell everyone." Gohan nodded.

"And are you still going by Goten, or are you changing your name?"

"I... I don't really wanna change my name. I like it how it is," Goten replied, and Gohan nodded again.

"Okay," he replied, shrugging. "You know, I bet if you wanna get a wardrobe change after you tell everyone, 18 would definitely take you out on a shopping spree."

"Don't you think she might... think I'm weird? Or gross?" 

"Goten, she's a cyborg. I don't think she'll care," Gohan reassured, laughing. "I honestly don't think anyone is going to think you're weird or gross. You've saved the world before; I doubt you being a girl will change anyone's opinions on you. It might take everyone a while to get used to calling you a girl since your whole life they've known you as a boy, but... I don't think any of them will look down on you for it."

"I guess you're right," Goten said, smiling faintly. "I'm probably worried over nothing. But still... I feel kinda nervous."

"That's reasonable. But I promise everything will be alright." Gohan gave Goten's a thumbs up, and Goten grinned. "Who do you plan on telling now?"

"Um..." Goten thought it over for a moment. "Well, probably mom and dad. And then I'll tell Trunks and his family. And then next time all the Z Fighters have a gathering, I'll tell all of them."

"Sounds like a good plan," Gohan replied, nodding. "I'll be here with you every step of the way." 

"Thanks." Goten hugged Gohan. "You're the best brother in the world, you know that?"

"And you're the best sister in the world." 

Goten felt an unexplainable amount of joy upon hearing Gohan call her his sister. She grinned, hugging Gohan tighter.


End file.
